BASIC LIST / SUGGESTED ITEMS FOR LONG TERM SURVIVAL

**AirborneSapper7** · 06-05-2012, 03:56 AM

The List: A to Z Survival for the Abysmal Times Ahead

Be Informed
June 2nd, 2012
SHTF Plan
Comments (149)Read by 22,446 people

In a follow-up to his wildly popular article discussing How Horrific It Will Be For The Non-Prepper, contributor ‘Be Informed’ provides SHTFplan readers with an extensive list of preparedness and survival keywords and concepts for beginners and seasoned preppers alike.
It seems like no matter how well someone prepares, they inevitably find out they have forgotten something. That all important item or items that aren’t “remembered”, that merely only have to be mentioned by name to remind a person of what they needed. Most of the time when someone forgets an article of clothing or other minor object after beginning a vacation they can easily replace it or live without it. After a calamitous event, however, anything that a person has forgotten to store will likely be be impossible to obtain. What someone has in their possession at the time of the event is probably the ONLY thing they will be able to get.

The following list of A to Z survival items and survival related concepts details what one may have simply forgotten because there’s so much to prepare for. Kind of like; “oh yeah, I am glad that something reminded me of what I need”, or “that’s something I never thought of and I will need it”. Most everyone will, of course, not be able to amass everything on this list, and there will of course be items and ideas not mentioned here, but it should be a good place to start for beginners and seasoned preppers alike. A person can always add more to any list of their own essential needs, as lists such as this are almost endless. It should also be realized that no list of survival items and ideas are perfect for any individual, and just because someone has just a portion of what is on it doesn’t mean that they are not prepared.

The goal here is to have a general inventory of “key words” that have to do with prepping and survival that have very brief descriptions and short reasons behind why they are so important regarding survival preparedness. The aim is to keep each survival and prepping word or set of words as compact as possible – that is, to not bog down anyone with lengthy explanations that could easily fill an encyclopedia size book. When the prepper/survivalist sees a word in relation to preparing it can and does trigger an automated response that brings thoughts of whether they need or do not need to do something about it in their own planning.

This A to Z list of survival should help in that process.

A
- Ability and adept – the more skills you have the better.
- Able bodied – being physically fit helps anyone.
- Accumulate – tiny amounts eventually add up to a lot.
- Action – you should not put off what you need to do.
- Adaptability – to survive people will need to adapt.
- Advice – there is much good sound advice out there, seek it out.
- Aftermath – this is what is the longest and most difficult to survive.
- Air circulation – plan for this in ALL environments.
- Alcohol – both drinking and rubbing alcohol for sterilizing, wonderful barter items.
- Alarms – something to alert you to potential hazards
- Alive – the more supplies someone has to more likely they will say alive.
- Alone – prepare for this possibility of being completely without anyone around.
- Altitude – the higher up someone can be within reason to more they can see.
- Aluminum wrap – uses from wrapping up items to EMP protection to cooking.
- Ambush – prepare for this possibility when you are venturing outside.
- Ammunition – for your own firearms to fantastic barter item, get as much as you can.
- Anarchy – the likely scenario after most wide spread catastrophes, prepare for it.
- Anemia – something that most be guarded against, preventable with good food.
- Antennas – any radio needs extension receiving or transmission of weak signals.
- Antibiotics – natural or synthetic are an absolute must to store up.
- Aquaculture – consider fish farming, hydroponic vegetable growing if there’s nearby water.
- Aspirin – pain killer and blood thinners will be high in demand after a disaster.
- Attitude – keeping an upbeat mood with help those around you.
- Automobile – everything to keep it running as far as possible, a car first aid kit.

B
- Backpacks – make sure these are sturdy and don’t stress out your body.
- Bags – everything from trash, storage, sandbags, space bags.
- Baking soda – cooking and many other uses including helping to neutralize acids.
- Band aids – there will be many cuts that need to be covered up.
- Barbeque – this can be fire pits, gas grills, or whatever to cook and heat up something.
- Barrels and baskets – so many uses from water storage to collection of so much you need.
- Barriers – this is anything such as barbed wire to slow or stop an intruder.
- Barter – the new business for many that everyone needs to become quite adept at.
- Batteries – rechargeable are the best batteries but disposable ones are also good to have.
- Beasts of burden – may be the ONLY way to move anything heavy, the new “horsepower”.
- Bees – increase the yield of crops and get honey if you can care for them.
- Beans – so many different varieties with so much fiber and protein to them.
- Beneficial – try to aim for the better good of yourself and your survival group.
- Bicycle – actually the bicycle is one of the most efficient vehicles there is.
- Binoculars – aim for the most “light” gathering models, usually with the larger lenses.
- Bizarre – prepare yourselves for the ultimate weird and totally unexpected.
- Blankets – worth their weight many times over.
- Bleach – probably one of the top survival items that there is.
- Boats – this can be canoes, kayaks, etc. to transport you and your supplies to safety.
- Boil – still one the best ways to kill bacteria and other pathogen in water.
- Booby traps – to protect yourself and your supplies, but watch out for them set by others.
- Books – there was something that people used before the internet, which were books.
- Borax – a good cleaner for many items.
- Bottles – too many uses to mention.
- Bow and arrows – silent and can be a good alternative to those that cannot get firearms.
- Boxes – even the cardboard type offers economical ways of storing your supplies.
- Brackets – consider them to vertically help in stacking of supplies.
- Brain – your best asset with prepping and survival.
- Brooms – don’t be without it, especially if you have much disaster debris to clean up.
- Brushes – everything from hair to paint to scrub brushes, don’t be without them.
- Budget – always try to put extra items for survival into the family budget, it will be worth it.
- Bug out and Bug in – think this over a lot before SHTF.
- Bulk – large items can be cheaper, but some may be too large and can’t be used at once.
- Bundle – consolidate as much as you can to save space.
- Bungee cords – good for securing things down, especially when travelling.
- Bury – still one of the best ways to hide what you consider valuable.
- Busy – find a way to keep yourself from becoming bore to death after a disaster.
- Butcher and slaughter – an unpleasant task for many but a skill people should know.

C
- Calculations – know how much you have and how long it will last.
- Calm – the more relaxed you can remain the easier you can handle a true nightmare.
- Calorie intake – make sure you are getting enough food so you don’t waste away.
- Camouflage and concealment – one of the top aspects of survival, don’t be seen.
- Camping – most of what people experience camping can help them in survival.
- Candles – this is something that you just can’t have enough of.
- Candy – not much nutrition but can be uplifting and a good barter item.
- Canned goods – so much comes in cans, even butter and cheese.
- Canning – excellent economical way of storing food, especially from the garden.
- Can openers – the manual ones everyone should have lots of.
- Canteens – still an excellent way of carrying smaller amounts of water.
- Canvas – clothes that take a beating from the elements and keep on going.
- Capsules – empty gelatin capsules are good ways of swallowing things that tastes bad.
- Carbon monoxide detector – battery operated, wise choice to get one.
- Cash – even cash money will have some use from some merchant willing to take it.
- Caution – being careful is most of the time the most logical course of action.
- Caves – being aware of hazards in caves, still can be the safest place to shelter someone.
- Cereal – not usually a long term survival item, but still not bad for several months storage.
- Charcoal – wonderful item for cooking as it can be used under primitive conditions.
- Children – younger people need more care and understanding to get through bad times.
- Chocolate – has some health properties and is a good sweet to trade things for.
- Chopping equipment – don’t be without it.
- Cigarettes – this is something that someone that smokes must have and will barter to get.
- Circulation – make sure your body gets exercise; sitting around for days is not good.
- Civil defense – an art almost lost that communities need to begin practicing again, now.
- Clean – the cleaner you, others and the environment is the less problems you will have.
- Climate – know where you are or where you are going, understand the climate.
- Clothes lines and clothes pins – many uses with them.
- Clothing – don’t forget what you need to wear and keeping your clothes clean as possible.
- Comfort – don’t forget to include those items that can cheer you up during bad times.
- Communications- most likely going to be down, people need to prepare for this.
- Compost – if you plan on growing anything, learn how to compost what you have.
- Compass – even cheap ones, because this may be the only way to travel around.
- Condition yourself – try to acclimate yourself to wherever you are or going to.
- Contagious – there are going to be some very bad germs everywhere, ready yourself.
- Containers – using your imagination for your needs you will find you need many containers.
- Contraceptives – even if you have no use for them, many others will and will barter for it.
- Cookware and cookbooks – simply put, don’t be without them, especially sturdy cookware.
- Coolers – not just for keeping things cold, can also be used to keep things from freezing.
- Cooling – evaporative cooling and good air circulation can aid a lot in keeping people cool.
- Cooperation – everyone in a survival group needs to work together for the group.
- Cots – even fold up beds to get people off the ground when sleeping or resting.
- Cotton – very breathable material, cotton balls also have many uses.
- Couponing – just like money, the more you use the more of something else you can afford.
- Cutting equipment – like chopping devices, almost a certain survival need.

D
- Death and dying – something people must handle after a disaster, prepare for this.
- Decontamination – it may be necessary to prevent spread of germs and toxins.
- Defense – something that must be planned for by all in a survival group.
- Dehydrated food – drying foods with a dehydrator or using the sun, even purchasing it.
- Denial – some people will continue to deny “it” has happened, something to deal with.
- Dental care – toothpaste, dental floss, toothbrushes, and others, don’t be without it.
- Deodorizers – it makes a confined stay much easier when bad smells are not everywhere.
- Depression and despair – an issue everyone will face either with themselves or others.
- Detection – you should be able to know what is around you that can harm you.
- Diapers – any infant in the group needs these, still a very good barter item.
- Dinnerware – it is awful to have to eat everything without forks, knives, spoons.
- Disease – this is going to be rampant everywhere, take precautions for this.
- Dishes and glasses – plates, bowls, glasses and cups from eating and drinking.
- Disinfectant – to prevent disease and sickness, from hand sanitizers to sprays.
- Disguise – try to hide yourself by also your retreat the best you can from others.
- Diversity – don’t put all your eggs in one basket; have back up plans and places.
- Dogs – for guarding and watching along with companionship to consider.
- Downwind – try not to be downwind with any smells that alert others to what you have.
- Dust pans – mini shovels, sturdy enough to help collect debris and dirt and dust.

E
- Eye glasses – extra prescription glasses for those that need it, sunglasses for glare.
- Ear and eye protection – loud noises can deafen and loose particles can blind.
- Economical – being frugal has many advantages as everything lasts longer.
- Edible – find out in your area everything you can that is eatable and safe.
- Educate – continue to find out as much as you can about everything about survival.
- Eggs – can be raised yourself and/or found in nests around your area, good protein.
- Electricity – can be generated from wind, water, solar, or other means.
- Emergency kits – many on the market or you can build one yourself.
- EMP – electro-magnetic-pulse – guard against it, Faraday cages for one.
- Entertainment – especially for children, games, something to break up boredom.
- Entrances – everywhere something can get in is a potential danger spot, guard them.
- Envelopes – storage of records, papers, information, seeds, many others.
- Environment – know it well wherever you are.
- Epsom Salts – one of the best items for infections and cleansing.
- Escape – having plans to get out of situations is wise.
- Experience – the more someone can get the more natural problem solving comes.
- Extra – that little more that is added to what someone considers adequate enough
F
- Faith – no matter what someone believes, this higher power can give strength to people.
- Fallout and bomb shelter – these structures are excellent for other disasters.
- Farming and harvest equipment – if you plan to grow crops you need these tools.
- Favorite foods – the more enjoyable some of the food you have, the stressful it will be.
- Fear and panic – it is likely to be intense with almost everyone, prepare now for it.
- Feminine needs – without these bacteria septic problems can develop with women.
- Fiber – constipation is something no one needs to go through on top of a disaster.
- Files – there is much that needs to be kept, like medical records, safe and accessible.
- Filters – from water to coffee to anything, filters are needed for much.
- Fire – know how to start one and maintain one.
- Firearms – the more the better.
- First aid kit – the more elaborate the kit is the more people you can treat with quality care.
- Fishing – knowing how to fish well will be a survival skill most can use for food.
- Fishing equipment – everything that goes with it, fishing line also “has many other uses.
- Flashlights – LED, it just seems like you can never have enough.
- Flour – almost everyone can use flour and a lot of it.
- Focus – one of the most important survival traits.
- Food – store it and then store more.
- Footwear- different terrains mean different shoes, boots, socks, and foot padding.
- Four food groups – the more balanced someone’s diet is the less health problems.
- Four wheel drive – if you can get it or know someone trustworthy with you, do it.
- Forage – like the animals that make their living off it, become an expert at this.
- Forest – consideration, most people have one nearby, good place to hide and find food.
- Free – a prepper philosophy, never to pass up an opportunity to get usable things for free.
- Freeze dried foods – can be expensive, but are lightweight and very convenient.
- Fruit – never forget to try to get some fruit in your diet, edible berries are in nature.
- Fuel, fuel storage – gas, propane, whatever powers machines are nice to have in reserve.
- Funnels – makes pouring liquids and even powders so much easier into containers.

G
- Garage sales – estate sales, auctions, flea markets, to get good survival items cheaper.
- Garbage and trash – find safe ways of disposing of it before it becomes a big problem.
- Garden tools – planning to grow food even on small scale, you will need these.
- Gathering – like foraging, there is plenty in the outdoors that can be collected.
- Glue and adhesives – people will need to stick many items back together.
- Germs – they are everywhere and will spread rapidly with everything dead and dying.
- Gloves – not just for warmth, also for hand protection from picking up sharp objects.
- Gold – even when it seems like no money is accepted, someone will accept gold.
- Grains – might be harder to obtain after a wide spread disaster, good item to store.
- Grain mill, manual – when you have grains you likely will have to mill them down for use.
- Grief and sorrow – expect to lose those around you; family, friends, neighbors.
- Guard – what some group may have to do 24 hours a day, animals can help in the duty.
- Gun – stun guns, air guns, hand guns, shot guns, can’t go wrong with more self defense.

H
- Hardware – everything from screws to nails, just look at your local hardware store.
- Hats – the head is the one part of the body that some people forget needs protecting.
- Hatchets, axes – if a person only gets one chopping tool, let it be an ax of some sort.
- Health – this is essential to keep someone going, much attention must be given to this.
- Heat – almost every place gets cool enough to be uncomfortable, take this into account.
- Healing – the more you have available, the quicker anyone is sick is going to heal.
- HEPA air filters – there will be a lot of air toxins, filtering that air is important if you can.
- Herbs – can help cure ailments and make food taste much better.
- Hide and hideout – many people will need to hide to stay alive for awhile.
- Hoist – makes lifting something heavy much easier.
- Holsters – a lot easier to carry fire arms or other self defense on your body.
- Honey – can be stored almost forever, many uses like treating bee and wasps stings.
- Hope – what having survival supplies gives people.
- Horticulture – learn as much about growing food as possible.
- Humidity – a very important factor with dehydration and staying warmer in the cold.
- Hydrogen peroxide – still one of the best first aid remedies there is.
- Hygiene- preventative health care, the cleaner your body is the less chance of illness.

I
- Ideas – always look for new ones to help your survival and preparing, they are out there.
- Illness – the faster someone deals with sickness the less drastic it will be, don’t let it go.
- Immune System – the stronger it is the stronger and more likely to fight off becoming sick.
- Improvise – be inventive and find solutions, this takes practice.
- Improvement – always the goal is to make your preparedness better, more survivable.
- Insect repellent – this is an item that everyone will be so thankful to have.
- Instant food products – much of this is sold in the supermarket, it is easy and lightweight.
- Insulation – learning how to use insulation on a person and a place is so important.
- Insurance – this is all that you have stored up, real tangible life insurance.
- Intuition – this is using your wits and that something that tells you it is wrong or right.
- Inverter – with 12 volt batteries you can power small devices that are plugged in.
- Iodized salt – this is a necessary nutrient that keeps a person alive, don’t be without it.
- Isolation – probably the best idea in most situations, less competition for what remains.
- Itch remedies – there are plenty of things that are going to make you itch a lot.

J
- Jack of all trades – may be no one to fix what breaks, become diverse at repair work.
- Jacks – a good jack that can lift your car quickly to fix it makes practical sense to have.
- Jackets and coats – all weather, especially water repellent, and heavy jackets for the cold.
- Jerry-rig it – people will need to come up with all sorts of contraptions and be good at it.
- Judgment – always use good judgment and think before you leap and make decisions.
- Juice – nutrition can be obtained through canned and bottled juices, good item to store.

K
- Kindling – know how to collect and what to look for to start a fire.
- Kitchenware – there are many utensils to make cooking a lot easier.
- Knives – including machetes, folding, for cutting foods, try to have all kinds.
- Knowledge – the more you know and can retain, the more likely you will survive.

L
- Ladders – most forget about this one, folding and compact ladders are a good choice.
- Lanterns – battery operated, gas or other fuel, even wind up, are nice sources of light.
- Laundry accessories – probably no washing machines, clothes should still be washed.
- Lawlessness – don’t depend on the police to protect you, it likely won’t happen.
- Liberty – your freedom depends on not selling yourself to someone else to eat.
- Lifeline – your supplies and what you can make, find, trade for, etc. is your lifeline.
- Light – don’t take for granted that there will always be light, well stock anti-dark supplies.
- Lighters, lighter fluid – without chemical help, wet conditions make it hard to start a fire.
- Liquid – not just water can hydrate a person, other liquids such as milk, juice, others can.
- Livestock – eventually survivors are going to be keeping animals for food, learn how to.
- Loss – people need to ready themselves for some loss of something dear to them.

M
- Magnesium fire starters – a survival item that gets a lot of use for minimum money spent.
- Magnifying glass – every survival kit needs at least one of these.
- Maps – probably forget about GPS, the old fashioned maps to know where you are going.
- Masks – gas, respiratory both (N-95 and N-100), your lungs and breathing need protection.
- Matches – paper and wood types, this is something that everyone must have.
- Measuring devices – weight, distance, size, and people still will have to know how big it is.
- Meat – even vegetarians might have to eat some form of meat, have meats available.
- Meat grinder – one tool that will be much appreciated to own.
- Mechanical know how – repair work on any machine still working is inevitable.
- Medical knowledge and medical equipment – all too important.
- Metallurgy – people that can weld and shape metal will be a lot better off.
- Meticulous – well organized preparation and supplies saves time and effort.
- Milk – in cans, powdered form, or dairy cows and other mammals such as goats.
- Minerals – proper nutrition and very survival depends on humans getting enough minerals.
- Mirrors – for signaling, but also for seeing where the eyes can’t such as behind you.
- Mobile – people may have to remain moving with hopefully your supplies going with you.
- Modify – as situations change your plans will also likely change, be ready for this.
- Money – whatever someone else will accept in payment, precious metals still rule.
- MRE’s or meals ready to eat – these keep for many years and are quite handy.
- Multi-tools – small enough to carry and so many uses all in a fold up device.
- Multivitamins – an excellent supplement to what you might not be getting in foods.

N
- Nasal spray – especially saline solution, one of the best ways of cleaning out the sinuses.
- Native – become as familiar as a native to any new area as possible.
- Nature – try to live off it as much as you can, as it is renewable.
- Navigation – learn how to use landmarks, the sun, and the stars to guide you around.
- Necessities – prioritize what you need the most; try to stock up on these items the most.
- Nest egg – what you have stored and can immediately be made available to you.
- Never – as in never should you stop stocking up when you can and have the room to.
- News – try to keep yourself as updated as you can, you don’t want to be caught off guard.
- Newspaper – good kindling and insulation, also good for wrapping things with.
- Nighttime – plan for the darkness and the fact that many predators stalk those at night.
- Night vision equipment – being able to see more at night gives anyone an advantage.
- Noise – try your best to keep any sound to the minimum and sound travels far and away.
- Noise makers – whistles, horns, anything with sharp piercing decibels are a defense.
- Nutrition – EVERY survival food supply should take this essential need in consideration.
- Nuts – high protein and excellent calorie counts, plus they keep usable for longer times.

O
- Observation – obtain as much as you can perceive; sight, sound, smell, feel, taste.
- Oil – all sorts for; cooking, heating, lamps, lubrication, and many other uses.
- Open-minded – often someone to move on anything has to be open to it first.
- Organization – uses color coding, numbers, anything to know what you have.
- Out of the way – the outback and away from high density populations are good options.
- Outdoors – something anyone may have to live and deal with, learn how to live it.
- Outline – any good survival plan has a well defined structured summary of what to do.
- Oxygen – many safe places lack air for all the people, these needs to be addressed.
- Oven – it can be a solar, brick, gas, wood, Dutch, an oven is an excellent survival tool.

P
- Padlocks – can at very least slow down a thief or intruder from getting in.
- Pantry – a full pantry is one of the most secure feelings.
- Paper – people will need to write down information, write down without computers.
- Paper towels – here is an item that filters, cleans up messes, so many uses.
- Parachute cord – paracord is extremely strong and thin enough for many, many uses.
- Paraffin – for making candles with and for sealing off foods with wax such as cheeses.
- Pasta – long shelf life and can be combined with lots of different foods.
- Pectin – for fruit preserves and other foods, also quite effective controlling diarrhea.
- Pencils and pens – what people will need when there are no modern electronics left.
- Pepper spray – non-lethal stopping power, especially for areas that prohibit firearms.
- Pest control – so necessary to control disease, every survival supply needs some.
- Pet preparation – for those with pets, they need to have food and needs stockpiled.
- Pharmaceuticals – the drug stores will be closed and ransacked.
- Physically fit – the more in shape your body is the more you can take and act.
- Pins – safety and regular straight pins for fastening objects.
- Plant life – know what you can eat and can’t and the medicinal benefits of plants.
- Platinum – still one of the precious metals that can be used to purchase what you need.
- Potassium iodine (iodide) – after radiation starts this must be used to protect the thyroid.
- Preserving – using pressure cookers, fermentation pots, pickling, drying, etc.
- Protection – absolutely essential, consider all sorts of weapons and defensive training.
- Psychology – people around someone are going to freak out and have to be helped.
- Pumps – to get liquids to where you need them to go, non-electric hand pumps especially.
- PVC piping – this to hide your valuables vertically in the ground, with watertight lids.

Q
- Quagmire – try never to get bogged down anywhere that is no longer safe to be.
- Quality – you usually get what you paid for, the better quality usually the longer it lasts.
- Quantity – the more you have, the longer you will last before times become desperate.
- Quarantine – a sign put up with this on it can and does deter people from your place.
- Quick action – the more rapid you can move, the quicker you can establish safety.
- Quiet – as little noise as possible as sound will travel much distance.
- Quik clot hemostatic agent – this is something that can stop bleeding from deep wounds.

R
- Radiation knowledge – detection and knowing how to shield yourself from it.
- Radios – shortwave and conventional may be the ONLY way to get information and news.
- Raingear – everything to keep someone dry, excessive moisture leads to skin problems.
- Ration – every survival plan should have a way of dividing up food and supplies.
- Razors – in all forms, the sharper the better in many cases for cutting things.
- Recovery – the more prepared someone is the more likely they will be part of the recovery.
- Refrigeration – even without electricity you can keep things cold, ice house is one way.
- Reload – sporting goods still will not be around; your ammunition might be used quickly.
- Remedies – there are natural and manmade ones that can lives, read up of them.
- Replacement parts – spare parts are so valuable, especially when there are no stores.
- Replenish – always try to replace what supplies you use while you still can.
- Rescue – don’t expect to be saved for indefinite amounts of time, be well prepared.
- Rice – one food that can be bought and stored in large bulk.
- Rifle – every firearm stockpile needs one or more, high powered air rifles are good also.
- Risk management – know what endangers you and your groups and act accordingly.
- Rope – different strands and strengths for different projects.
- Rotate – can be difficult but it is so worth it to keep what should be fresh when you need it.

S
- Sacrifice – some of this is necessary to accumulate supplies to survive for tomorrow.
- Safety – always aim for the safest path for everyone in you survival group.
- Sales – always look for anything to alert you to when you can save money on survival.
- Salt – even bags of rock salt will be very high in demand where salt is not readily around.
- Salvage – there are many very usable parts in what others would consider junk.
- Sanitation – much effort MUST be contributed to this essential survival necessity.
- Scarce – what was once plentiful will be little or nothing in supply, stock up before this.
- Scarves – for tying down things, along with being used for neck and head covering.
- Scavenge and scrounge – learn to see what you can use for later just lying around.
- Science and math – problems are easier to solve with good science and math know how.
- Scissors – small to large, cutting is usually made easier with sharp scissors.
- Screens – keep out insects, sieve things, metal screen can be used to protect from EMP.
- Sealers – all sorts of uses but especially to plug leaks.
- Security – always look for ways to better secure yourself and what you have.
- Seeds – if you plan to grow anything, get good quality seeds and airtight protect them.
- Seriousness – never underestimate just how horrible a disaster can become.
- Sewing equipment – thread, needles, etc., and possibly even a manual sewing machine.
- Shade – direct sunlight can drive up the temperature a lot; think about the issue of shade.
- Shampoo – your hair needs to be cleaned occasionally when there is extra water to do so.
- Sharpeners – cutting equipment that is sharp cuts down on time and effort cutting things.
- Shields – armor, barriers, anything to safeguard against projectiles and other threats.
- Shoe laces – nice to have when shoes laces on shoes and boots wear out.
- Shooting range – become as proficient with your firearms as you can, practice a lot.
- Shovels – all sizes and very necessary, don’t forget show shovels are not just for snow.
- Shower – good way to stay clean, camping solar showers type bags or make it yourself.
- Signaling devices – flags, mirrors, noise, bright lights, anything to get attention.
- Silver – a precious metal that is going to be accepted by some merchant.
- Siphon – getting liquids to where you need it.
- Siren- air horns, anything to create a lot of sudden noise.
- Skin care – so many different irritants that can cause skin problems, how aliments stored.
- Sleep aids – natural and others can also help with depression.
- Soap – try to aim for anti-bacterial based soaps, learn how to make your own soap.
- Soil – know it well before attempting to grow crops.
- Solar power – from cookers to recharging to immediate power, something to consider.
- Soup – good way of adding what you have to make a meal, also canned soups.
- Space – know how much space you have to work with people and supplies.
- Sponges – use for cleaning and for sponge baths when there is little water.
- Storage – try to make it airtight and cool and dry as possible.
- Stoves – many are on the market, people can build their own out of scrape supplies.
- Stress – find out beforehand the best way to help people in your group how to handle it.
- Suddenness – so many disasters come on without warning and instantly, get ready for this.
- Sugar – this has to be one of the top items used and sought after by others.
- Sun – think about angles when planting, times between sunrise and sunset, etc.
- Surprise – few people deal with the unexpected unless they ready themselves for it.
- Survival stores – they are going to sell most of what you’re going to need, check them out.

T
- Tables – folding and sturdy enough to hold some weight and not wobbly.
- Tape – from duct to masking to scotch and others, don’t be without it.
- Tarpaulins (tarps) – can be used to collect water, cover things, and many other uses.
- Tenderizer – really tough meat needs this, medical uses also.
- Tents – try to go with canvas, other tents rip too easily.
- Thermal protection – hot pads, guards against flames, anything to prevent being burned.
- Thermometers – to tell someone’s temperature, to tell any temperature.
- Thrifty – getting good used survival supplies when you can at cheap prices.
- Ties – especially plastic ties that lock, ties help keep objects bundled together and in place.
- Tinder – know where to look for tinder and what to look for to help start a fire.
- Tires – having extra tires for your escape vehicle is a good idea and a tire inflating pump.
- Toilet – chemical toilet, composting toilet, anything to safely dispose of human waste.
- Toilet paper – the more you have the better, easily also a top barter item.
- Tomato related – tomato sauce and pieces is so versatile with cooking, have lots of it.
- Tools – everything you get will help someone fix something.
- Topography – know how to read a topographic map and know the terrain you in.
- Toughness – times are going to be really tough, try to become mentally durable.
- Towels – you may not be able to do much wash, having extra towels will help.
- Toxins – there will be plenty after most disasters and must be avoided if at all possible.
- Trailers – both livable and those that allow you to move your supplies.
- Transmitters – whatever you can use to get your message out; CB, ham, whatever.
- Traps – this can be for animals and for people also, much caution here must be taken.
- Trouble – expect this when you have something someone desperate needs.

U
- Ultimate goal – is should be to have everything you need or most of it, good goal to aim for.
- Underground – survival may depend on as much mass between you and the outside.
- Underwear – long johns can keep a person warm; keep underwear as clean as possible.
- Unique – each survival group and their planning and what they have.
- Unity – an important issue that people should get along well in any survival group.
- Universal – the more adaptable parts are the easier to fix devices it will be.
- Update – like on a computer, try to keep yourself updated about what is happening.
- Upwind – try to remain upwind from any potential threat to you.

V
- Valleys and depressions – is where cold air sinks, water collects rapidly, be careful here.
- Value – always look for the best possible value on anything.
- Valves – for controlling air, gas, and liquid flows, having spare ones is a very good idea.
- Vaporizer – this can save someone having breathing problems.
- Vault – a secure fireproof safe(s) for what cannot be replaced, like your firearms.
- Vegetables – in cans, growing them and finding them, a high priority for any survival.
- Vehicles – anything that can move you and your supplies.
- Venomous animals – no treatment at medical facilities, something to be very wary about.
- Vinegar – every survival plan needs vinegar, for treating people to cleaning to much more.
- Vitamins – people need to get enough vitamins or they develop life threatening illnesses.

W
- Wagons – can help move a lot, not just a child’s toy.
- Warmth – everyone needs to be kept warm enough, supplies should address this.
- Washboard – one of the items that everyone should have, it works.
- Waste – something that piles up and leads to vermin and disease, and must be dealt with.
- Watches and clocks – wind up are best, you will still need to know the time.
- Water – make sure you have access to a dependable constant source, no matter what.
- Watertight – the more moisture you can keep out the longer your supplies will remain.
- Weaknesses – attempt to find them and fix them as fast as you can.
- Weapons – on top of the obvious, use your imagination for some other effective ones.
- Weather – learn how to forecast it with a decent degree of accuracy, get a barometer.
- Weather proving – hold back as much of the outside elements as possible.
- Wells – one way of having a possible dependable source of water.
- Wheat – where you get your bread from.
- Wind break – something to think about to reduce the cold and severe weather.
- Windows – one of the most vulnerable part of any survival retreat, need to be secured.
- Wipes – so convenient and makes clean up so much more efficient.
- Wood – dried wood is still one of the best and most obtainable sources of fuel there is.
- Wringer – makes clothes easier to dry out after they have been washed.

X
- Xenophobia – survival is going to mean being leery of others that want what you have.

Y
- Yardage and yarn – fabric to make clothes, blankets, coverings, and other needs.
- Year round planning – a survival plan should take into account all days of the year.
- Yeast – bread and other baking will sometimes need yeast to help it rise.

Z
- Zeal or enthusiasm – people that know their prepping is all worth it, a good uplifting feeling.
- Zero hour – the time in which you hunker down and wait it out in safety of your place.
- Zipper and zip lock bags – a true necessity for keeping items dry, clean, and airtight.
- Zones – know exactly where your best individual survival chances will be at.

Also see: How Horrific Will It Be For The Non-Prepper?

The List: A to Z Survival for the Abysmal Times Ahead

**AirborneSapper7** · 06-06-2012, 02:12 AM

“ZOMBIE INCIDENTS and EVENTS UPDATES” – Zombie Apocalypse, Parts 1, 2 and 3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~“And except those days be shortened, there should no flesh be saved.”Matthew 24:22

Zombie Incident Map, © 2012 Google

View Larger Map

The Daily Beast is tracking news of instances that may be the precursor to a zombie apocalypse. Blue pins represent suspicious incidences or infections, while red pins represent acts of strange violence.

Imagine the terra-terror when a “Flash Mob - Black Awakening“ scenario occurs: “fear will fly.”

Complete series:
ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, Parts 1, 2 and 3 please click for pdf file.These essays can also be accessed at Scribd, ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE ; Parts 1, 2 and 3.When referencing the above material please cite ©, 2011, 2012, Stephen Quayle, Raiders News Update, Sue Bradley

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

COMING THIS WEEK by Sabine Vlaming

“SYNTHIA,’ the Gulf of Mexico
The Plot Thickens

A known neurotoxic marine poisoning substance, named Tetrodotoxinand found in marine animals such as the puffer fish, has been documented to have been found in the same powder used in Haiti for purposeful zombification.
Tetrodotoxin is one of the deadliest poisons known to man. Easily five hundred times more powerful than cyanide, tetrodotoxin binds to the sodium channels on the nerve cell membrane, blocking transmission of the nervous impulse. It can induce a state of suspended animation almost indistinguishable from death.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~This page will be updated with links as more reports of bizarre and/or cannibalistic behavior are provided. Included will be the increasing number of Necrotizing Fasciitis (flesh-eating bacteria) reports.Every effort will be made to first verify sources through multiple news entries and publications.

ZombieVirus.org Tracking & Reporting the Global Epidemic Cover-up ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Zombie…New Virus Called Excited Delirium You Tube
** Excited Delirium. org Institute for the Prevention of In-Custody Deaths, University of Miami
** Excited Delirium.org Education, Research and Information for Law Enforcement (15 min. video)
** Death by Excited Delirium: Diagnosis or Coverup? NPR, 2007The Serpent and The Rainbow, Zombies and Magic © 1997, Wade Davis,

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~RECENT INCIDENTS, EVENTS and INSIGHTSYour Guide to Zombie Parasite Journalism Discover Magazine, June 5, 2012Krokodil takes toll on Russian Addicts WARNING GRAPHIC YouTube, 6 min.The Curse of the Crocodile: Russia’s Deadly Designer Drug“Crocodile’ – Ukraine’s New Drug ThreatRussian Drug Epidemic “Krokodil” Turns It’s Users into Zombies WARNING GRAPHIC You TubeKROKODIL EPIDEMIC: Desomorphine Warning WARNING GRAPHIC YouTube 2:13‘Krokodil’ Seducing Russian Drug AddictsIslamic Holy Man and Wife Jailed for Mutilating Genitals of Their Four Daughters$500,000 in stolen pathology equipment may have flesh eating substance in FloridaFlorida Man Dies of Flesh Eating BacteriaFlorida Woman caught performing sex act on herself by side of highway is arrested only wearing only a shirt and exposing herself to passing motorists: bites officerMan Beheads Wife On Roof in BerlinBritish Grandmother Beheaded in Grocery Store on Canary Islandsnote:The Canary Islands,The Chesapeake Bay and the Pyrenees Mountains (Basque-ETA) are ancient Atlantean Outposts“Bath Salts” addict filmed overdosing in shocking video: description that “Miami Cannibal” may have takenDark Matters: Twisted But True: Army of Zombie Cucumbers Discovery Science ChannelZombies?Russians developing mind-altering electromagnetic zombie gunNo Zombie Apocalypse? Not Today Anyway.Russia developing gun that turns people into zombies (seriously) Europe’s Zombie Parties (Political/Economic: enculturation/acculturation)Scientists find Extraterrtestrial Genes in Human DNA (related)Canadian Gay Porn Star “Cannibal” Luca Rocco Magnotta Arrested in Berlin “We catch fugitive cannibal playing war game online:” The Sun on Luka Magnotta trailTalk of ‘zombie apocalypse’ increases with gory incidentsZadooks: Falling Skies: The Complete First Season; Zombies Trump AliensHow to Engineer a Zombie Virus (Asia, 2010)Indonesian Zombie Photo: Real, Fake or Misunderstood? 2010Zombie Ritual from Indonesia: Woman Brought Back From the Dead” real or hoax? YouTube, 2010 3:27Austrian Parliament, The Green Alternative: KinderFlesh 2011, German language YouTube 5:52 WARNING GRAPHICMysterious Illness Strikes Children in Uganda: Turns Children Into Violent Zombies
World Health Organization is on high alert YouTube, 2:44This Isn’t Funny Anymore! Is There Real Zombie Apocalypse?Zombie Apocalypse Spreading: Twitter talk: public fears daw of the deadZombie Apocalypse Spreading Fear Before Transit of Venus‘Zombie Apocalypse:’ Horror movie genre becomes twisted real life news headlinesThe Zombie Apocalypse vs The Diamond Jubilee: Pick a SideZombies, Rabies and Synthentic Genomics, YouTube video, from 2009‘Zombie Apocalypse’ trending as bad news spreads quickly CNNCPAs Face Challenge In Early Stage of Zombie Apocalypse Forbes Zombie Apocalypse and the ‘bath salts’ link: 34 states already impacted per DEA“I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh, and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with wine.”New WineskinsRevealed: Victim of Canadian porn star cannibal is Chinese gay lover; police reveal murderer’ is on the run in France dressed as a woman.Zombie Apocalypse: CDC speaks out as ‘Walking Dead’-like incidents grow‘Zombie apocalypse’ incident in NJ caused SWAT team to be decontaminatedTop 5 true-life cannibal talesZombie Apocalypse 2012: Celebrities Channel Their Inner Zombies‘Zombie Attack’ Spot Added to History Miami Museum TourMan Accused of Eating Wife’s LipsZombie Apocalypse: CDC Denies Existence of Zombies Despite Cannibal IncidentsLast month’s solar flare created a mysterious pulse on Earth that seemed to ‘answer’ sun’s blastMay, 2012 5 Alien Parasites and Their Real-World Counterparts LiveScienceZombies of Europe (the photos are demonstrative of the massive global conditioning: in the most ‘sacred’ sites of Europe)Chernobyl Zombies? Chernobyl HIV? Chernobyl Forever?Cannibal on run after chopping up man warned ‘The Sun,’ “I can’t stop killing.” UKZombie Proof Condos Sell Out TG DailyScientists use satellites to track super flares on Sun-like Stars LA TimesMermaid Body Discovered, Zombie Apocalypse, Radioactive Tuna Reveals Mayans Doomsday WarningsStudent Admits to Eating Missing Man’s Dismembered Body Parts CBS, BaltimoreThe “Dracula bulb: Designer creates eerie lamp that runs on human bloodUniversity of Miami: “ZOMBIE ATTACK Disaster Preparedness Simulation Exercise #5 (DR5)“

Infectious Disease Researcher Shot Dead; What Did She Know That ‘They’ Don’t Want Us To Know? You Don’t Want To Know!
Zombie Rabies Virus Develop By NATO : Dr. Rebecca Carley on Alex JonesYouTube, 10:19

April, 2012
The First Zombie-Proof House
Baffling Illness Strikes Africa, Turns Children into “Mindless “Zombies”
Russia developing a gun that turns people into zombies (seriously)
Reality check on Russia’s ‘zombie ray gun’ programpsychotronic weaponry

January, 2012
Managing the unimaginable. Regulatory responses to the challenges posed by synthetic biology and synthetic genomics.NCBI
Zombie Mother Kills Then Eats Her Infant Son’s BrainShould We Take Zombie Apocalypse Threats Seriously?Ready for Doomsday: Some of our neighbors are The Virginia PilotMarch, 2012Intro to Catastrophe: Solar Flare Zombies© CNBC, March, 2012

There’s a new zombie in town — sun-eye zombies, and they’re a brain-eating byproduct of solar flares.

Michigan State University, Summer 2012 Online Electives: Surviving the Coming Zombie Apocalypse “Catastrophes and Human BehaviorSurviving the Coming Zombie Apocalypse “Catastrophes and Human Behavior”(Trailer) 2:05 min.2011Race, Oppression and the Zombie: Essays on Cross-Cultural Appropriations of the Caribbean Tradition Google Book Preview, © C. Moreman and Cory James Rushton 2011Inside zombie brains: Sci-fi teaches science. CNN April, 2011British royalty dined on human flesh: But don’t worry, it was 300 years ago Daily Mail, UK, Thinking and Driving: “Zombies and Solar Flares” YouTube video, June, 2011Biochemistry of Zombification, Bio 100/M. Dalbey UCSC, Fall 2011Zombie Worm Discovered in Mediterranean Whale Bone “sign of Jonah?”Zombie Colony RoanokeAre Zombie Brains Magnetized?Zombie Like Animals2010Zombie Virus Attacks Millions of Smart PhonesThe Disease That Makes People Zombies BBC News, 2005Zombie Virus Now Real YouTube, from BBC News Health, 2005Earlier publicationsTexas Makes Zombie Fire Ants (2009)Scientists Create Zombie Cockroaches (2007)Clinical findings in three cases of zombification Lancet, 1997
_______________

NINE Best U.S. places to survive the apocalypse
The Closing of Zombie Awareness Month, 2012 sees real-life zombie attack via drug-induced psychosis.
Zombie Ants Saved by Fungus-Castrating Fungus

Did zombies roam medieval Ireland? Sleep on it MSNBC, 2011Mind Controlling Parasites Date Back Thousands of Years Live Science, 2010

‘BioTerror Bible: Exposing the coming global pandemic” (may be downloaded as pdf)

Bio Mystery Outbreaks:1. Mystery Bio-Outbreaks (1993)2. Mystery Bio-Outbreaks (2003) 3. Mystery Bio-Outbreaks (2005) 4. Mystery Bio-Outbreaks (2008) 5. Mystery Bio-Outbreaks (2010)6. Mystery Bio-Outbreaks (2011) 7. Mystery Bio-Outbreaks (2012) 8. Mystery Illness Headlines

Recent Social “Incarnation of Hunger”World War Z, (2013, tentative)I Am Legend 2, “Terror Has a New Face” (2013, tentative)Hunger Games, 2012I Am Legend, 2007 _________________________________________________

The CDC website has assorted materials and publications related to “Zombie Preparedness.”Included is a Zombie Pandemic “Novella” which is available for online reading or download.

Pub Number

Item Description

Language

Limit

Order

22-1057

Preparedness 101: Zombie Pandemic

Download PDF

English

Download Only

22-0893

Preparedness 101: Get a Kit, Large Poster (24×36)- Folded

Download PDF

English

Download Only

22-0894

Preparedness 101: Get a Kit, Small Poster (18×24)- Folded

Download PDF

English

Download Only

22-0895

Preparedness 101: Don’t be a Zombie, Large Poster (24×36)- Folded

Download PDF

English

Download Only

22-0896

Preparedness 101: Don’t be a Zombie, Small Poster (18×24)- Folded

Download PDF

**AirborneSapper7** · 06-08-2012, 07:48 PM

The ‘Big Reset’ Is Coming: Here Is What To Do

Just owning gold will (most probably) be not good enough for the ‘BIG RESET’.

(Food, water, survival equipment, friends and if possible a remote farm & a self-sustainable lifestyle, …….)

- The ‘Big Reset’ Is Coming: Here Is What To Do (ZeroHedge, June 7, 2012):

A week ago, Zero Hedge first presented the now viral presentation by Raoul Pal titled “The End Game.” We dubbed the presentation scary because it was: in very frank terms it laid out the reality of the current absolutely unsustainable situation while pulling no punches. Yet some may have misread the underlying narrative: Pal did not predict armageddon. Far from it: he forecast the end of the current broken economic, monetary, and fiat system… which following its collapse will be replaced with something different, something stable. Which, incidentally, is why the presentation was called a big “reset”, not the big “end.” But what does that mean, and how does one protect from such an event? Luckily, we have another presentation to share with readers, this time from Eidesis Capital, given at the Grant’s April 11 conference, which picks up where Pal left off. Because if the Big Reset told us what is coming, Eidesis tells us how to get from there to the other side…
First of all, what is systemic risk?

Typical Systemic Risks:

Wide-spread defaults, sovereign debt crises, devaluations, capital controls, bank holidays, etc.

How it usually happens:

No warning;
Emergency announcement over a weekend;
Drastic measures to “protect the public” against [insert suitable culprits];
Outcome- someone’s value gets expropriated.

Yes, it can happen here –it has in the past.

Usually, the best warning indicator of a major systemic “event” are soaring cross-asset correlations: something we are experiencing right now.

Crisis of 2007-2009 was a “High Correlation” disruption:
- Multiple institutions and majority of the population were affected.
Reducing systemic risk called for lowering correlation, i.e. “firebreaks”, de-coupling, etc.
Instead, governments’actions since 2008 have been increasing correlation:
Fiscal Policies –sovereign debts are higher than ever and still growing fast;
- Monetary Policies –broken price mechanism = system-wide misallocations and mispricings;
- Too-Big-To-Fail –bigger than before the crisis;
- Euro Zone Crisis –“solutions” keep increasing interconnectedness – a “mutual suicide” pact;
- Financial Regulation –was supposed to reduce the risk but stalled through stiff opposition:
  - A single JP Morgan trader is reported to run $100 bln CDS book?!?!?!?!?! [ZH: now confirmed, and we all know the story since]
- Lack of Transparency –more opacity since the crisis; mark-to-market remains suspended.

Everyone knows this but only few are willing to accept the implications; fewer still are willing to act.

What are the key systemic risks:

The already unfolding crises:
- The Euro zone, Argentina.
Redistribution of wealth:
- ZIRP –Taking from net savers for the benefit of net debtors.
- Inflation targeting –Debasing debts at the expense of savers and bond holders.
- Pending tax hikes for top earners.
Financial Marshall law:
- FBAR and FATCA raise penalties and tighten reporting on all financial assets held offshore.
- Argentina –Currency controls; “Dollar-sniffing”dogs at the airports and border crossings.
Governments co opt banks to police the assets within the system:
- FATCA – all foreign financial institutions to report on all US customers or face 30% withholding.
- Swiss banks have been firing US clients; deal on reporting is inthe works.
- Swiss banks have agreed to report on their German and UK customers’accounts.

FINANCIAL REPRESSION IS AN ARRAY OF POLICY TOOLS THAT PRECLUDE CAPITAL FLIGHT AND ENABLE WEALTH TRANSFER FROM THE SAVERS TO THE DEBTORS

What to look for:

There are always losers and winners –many more losers than winners.
Majority has “normalcy bias” – tendency to underestimate risk of disaster.
Only a few heed the risks and make proper contingency arrangements.
Historically, financial disaster preparedness has enabled accelerated wealth creation.

Systemic Insurance is the only way to protect wealth from “High Correlation” events.

But more than anything, the one biggest giveaway is near endless complacency: the more the pros exhibit it, the closer we are:

Western economies have enjoyed V-shaped recoveries and domestic peace for over 65 years.
Mainstream investors have never experienced a “reset” or repression, financial or political.
Disdain for history and post-WWII Western exceptionalismunderpin collective hubris:
- “There can be few fields of human endeavor in which history counts for so little as in the world of finance.Past experience, to the extent that it is part of memory at all, is dismissed as the primitive refuge of the those who do not have insight to appreciate the incredible wonders of the present.” – John K. Galbraith

Complacency is misplaced – despite apparent normality, the risks are high and growing.

One simple example of the true cost of systemic risks in vitro:

Analyze This: Crisis of September 2008 Without The Bailouts = ? $$,$$$,$$$,$$$,$$$

What’s the big deal: they bailed us out before, they will do it again.
Wrong: “Due to massive new debts and politics governments’ capacity for future bailouts is limited.”
Which means that systemic hedges should be used by everyone. At what cost though:

Price of Systemic Insurance = Probability of Disruption X Potential Loss Severity

As Eidesis notes: Insurance is cheap whenever consensus under?estimates the Probability of Disruption.
Or, worse, when the status quo is artificially keeping the price of systemic insurance low to prevent the general public from realizing just how precarious reality truly is. Remember:

“When it becomes serious, you have to lie” Jean-Claude Junker

So if we are handed cheap insurance options, where should we be looking? Long-time Zero Hedge readers likely already know the answer:

SAFE HAVEN ASSETS –KEY REQUIREMENTS

Ideal Attributes – Valuable, uniform, divisible, portable, storable.
No One’s Liability–Physical form, unlevered, non-financial custody; no reliance on capital markets.
Multiple Exit Strategies – Diversity of buyers; ability to exit via different currencies.
Geographic Diversification ? The only feasible way to manage sovereign risks.
Flexibility – Ownership arrangements must be actively managed to address evolving conditions

Exposure to Safe Haven assets via financial instruments IS NOT Systemic Insurance
SAFE HAVEN ASSETS –DEFENSIVE, LONG TERM STRATEGY

Proven Safe Havens for preserving value through the “trough” of a crisis:
Real Estate – “Real” but immovable; not uniform, usually owned with leverage; easily taxable.
Diamonds – Valuable, portable and storable but neither uniform nor divisible.
Art, Antiques, Collectables – Issues with subjective valuations, authenticity and provenance.

ART, ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES HAVE BEEN PROVEN HIGHLY EFFECTIVE IN PRESERVING VALUE OVER TIME. HOWEVER, ABILITY TO OBTAIN FAIR VALUE IN TIMES OF DISTRESS IS OFTEN LIMITED.

Which leaves…

Precious Metals can preserve value through a crisis AND provide liquidity during a crisis:
Silver–“Poor Man’s Gold” but impractical for large sums.
Platinum –The bullion is not as readily available as gold.
Palladium –Somewhat esoteric.

GOLD –Always liquid, widely available, universally accepted, deepest markets, global pricing
Gold – 2,500-year unbroken track record of liquidity and “Safe Haven” performance.

But don’t take our word for it… Or that of Eidesis. How about that of… the Federal Reserve:
Here is the FRBNY explaining why people own gold:

“For centuries, gold had a profound impact on history, as a symbol and a storehouse of wealth accepted universally around the world.“
“When people are worried about political instability, war or inflation, they often put their savings into gold.”
“Gold functions as a medium of exchange, particularly in areas where currencies are distrusted.”

Why the US government nationalized gold:

The 1933 prohibition against gold ownership “prevented hoarders from profiting after Congress devalued the dollar (in terms of gold)”by 41%.

ACCORDING TO THE NY FED –GOLD IS A “PHENOMENAL ASSET” AND AN “IMPORTANT STORE OF VALUE”
GOLD NATIONALIZATION OF 1933 PRECLUDED THE SAVERS FROM PROTECTING THE VALUE OF THEIR ASSETS

What else does the Fed tell us:

THE FED –WE STORE FOR OTHERS; OUR OWN IS OUTSIDE THE BANKS!

“As of early 2008, the Fed’s vault contained roughly 216 million troy ounces of gold“–“about 22 percent of the world’s official monetary gold reserves.”
“The United States owns approximately 27 percentof the monetary gold”–“262 million troy ounces as of 2007.”
“A majority of [the U.S.] reserves is held <…> at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and West Point, New York. Most of the remainder is at the Denver and Philadelphia Mints and the San Francisco Assay Office.”

WATCH WHAT THEY DO; NOT WHAT THEY SAY:
THE U.S. GOVERNMENT STORES ITS GOLD WITH THE MILITARY, NOT THE BANKS.
APPROXIMATELY 49% OF ALL MONETARY GOLD IS PHYSICALLY LOCATED ON THE U.S. SOIL.

Which means that as we approach the date with the Grand Reset which Raoul Pal predicted could come as soon as the end of the year, and which Soros has as under 3 months and counting, there is only one question:
Do You Have Systemic Insurance?

Full Eidesis Presentation:

Eidesis Capital

http://www.infiniteunknown.net/2012/...is-what-to-do/

**AirborneSapper7** · 06-08-2012, 11:03 PM

‘Only Hobbit Hole Company in the World’: Husband-Wife Team Make Tolkien Homesteads

Posted on June 8, 2012 at 10:21pm
by Liz Klimas
Comments (2)

Rocy Pillsbury and his wife Melissa, you might say, are avid J.R. Tolkien fans. According to Fair Companies, when they had children, they decided to build a “hobbit hole” playhouse for them with the intention of marketing it to others as well. What they found though was adults were just as interested in procuring their own Tolkien-inspired homesteads.

(Image: Wooden Wonders)

The pair began the company Wooden Wonders, which Fair Companies notes is licensed by Middle Earth Enterprises, to build the structures as chicken coops, sheds, playhouses and guest cottages. Wooden Wonders, Melissa says, is the “only hobbit hole company in the world.”

(Related: Want to see the human-size hobbit house that costs less than $5,000 to build?)

Melissa explains that they build both subterranean — a more expensive variety – and above-ground hobbit holes. She says their interpretation of how the hobbit homes look are an “intersection of practicality of what you can practically build and that imaginary aspect of what the mind’s eye created and applying that to what can be made into an actual structure.”

Chicken coop hobbit hole. (Image: Wooden Wonders)

(Image: Wooden Wonders)

According to Fair Companies, the hobbit holes by the Maine-based builders go for about $1,000 up to $20,000 for a larger luxurious version. The chicken coops start at $999 and a 16-foot diameter, 8-foot 2-inch-tall cottage with insulation, finished flooring and windows range from $15,000 to $20,000. Their largest custom hobbit hole is about 200 square feet.

(Image: Wooden Wonders)

(Image: Wooden Wonders)

“The idea of a hobbit hole isn’t really age specific,” Melissa said. “It’s something unique and people like seeing something different in kind of a cookie-cutter world where we just see a lot of the same things repeated all the time.”

Check out Fair Companies’ footage of the hobbit holes:

‘Wooden Wonders’Creates Hobbit Hole-Like Chicken Coops, Sheds and Guest Cottages | Video | TheBlaze.com

**AirborneSapper7** · 06-09-2012, 01:15 AM

The Government’s Boots on the Ground When It Hits the Fan May Be Your Neighbors

Prepared Pastor
June 4th, 2012
Single Focus Church
Comments (275)
Read by 19,222 people

This article has been shared with the SHTFplan community by long time contributor and emergency response professional Prepared Pastor.

It had been several years since I left my positions on the city fire department and county HAZMAT team to move to the mountain state to teach wilderness survival and firearms, but I still missed being an emergency responder. Especially after moving to town when I got married and started a family. When a friend asked me to join him at a CERT training session, all I knew was that it was an acronym for Community Emergency Response Team. A rational person would think that meant it was about becoming part of a team within my community that responded to emergencies. A rational person would be mistaken. Sure, the training covered the basics of first aid, emergency preparedness, fire safety, light search and rescue, etc., but lacked the depth of a boy scout merit badge on those topics. I could not help wondering why FEMA would spend so many of our tax dollars to duplicate duties that, in my professional experience, the American Red Cross and other nonprofit organizations provide for free.

I left the first day of training thinking that CERT, like many other government bureaucracies was just another hole the federal government pours money into hoping it will leach into productivity. I was tempted not to complete the training, but not being a quitter and already halfway to earning a really neat emergency response kit to add to the plethora of gear collected over a lifetime in emergency services, I resigned myself to spending another beautiful Saturday in a folding metal chair or aiming an electronic fire extinguisher at digital flames (we actually did this).

I was surprised to find that this particular CERT team had never actually responded to an emergency. They were put on alert once which the commander was quite excited to talk about. He told us one day CERT volunteers could be paired with uniformed emergency responders when an incident required additional manpower. Another surprise was the speaker they brought in from the U.S. Department of Justice on the final day. The first words out of his mouth were a question, “Are there any militia members or white supremacists here?” While we sat there in stunned silence he continued to explain there was nothing wrong with belonging to a militia or being a white supremest as long as one did not did so within the confines of the law. “If men want to dress up and run around in the woods practicing their First Amendment right, I have no problem with that” he said. He then spent the next couple hours describing the types of behavior he did have a problem with and how militias and other organizations had been infiltrated, enticed to engage in illegal activities, and prosecuted for thinking they had done so. After several engaging tales of covert operations it was time for the real purpose of his lecture for which he prepared his only hand-out, Homeland Security Terrorist Indicators. It provided contact information for the USDOJ and FBI offices serving our area and instructed us to call them anytime we saw ‘suspicious activity’ which included, but was not limited to:

Individual’s residence contains little or no furniture Photographing or videotaping in public places such as malls Ownership of police manuals, military training manuals, flight manuals, radio scanners, or other communications equipment Presence of weapons such as knives, pistols, rifles, etc. in a residence.

Attached to the extensive list was a reminder that these were just a few possible indicators and if it doesn’t feel right, report it! BUT do not disclose to anyone that you did. During his talk, he verbally added to the list several common items including 100# propane cylinders. When I indicated that I had a couple of those lying in my yard until I could get them filled and returned to my cabin, he replied that my neighbors had probably called the FBI on me and that they investigate every report. If my neighbors did report my ‘suspicious behavior’ (which I doubt) then I either have an FBI file or an addition to my existing file.

In July 2010, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), at Secretary Janet Napolitano’s direction, launched a national “If You See Something, Say Something™” public awareness campaign –a simple and effective program to raise public awareness of indicators of terrorism and violent crime, and to emphasize the importance of reporting suspicious activity to the proper state and local law enforcement authorities. While CERT teams predate this campaign by 25 years, the evidence is overwhelming that the program has been realigned to confirm to that mantra. Other than public relations/recruiting activities, the only service opportunity presented since I joined was entering surveillance data during a large community event.

If you are concerned about the federal government spending your tax dollars to train your neighbors to spy on you, the shadow army they are building through their Incident Command System should keep you up at night. It includes 428,500 men and women trained (as per the 2012 National Preparedness Report) and organized into local units. Units which have established call-out procedures for emergency response that will work just as well when the emergency is you. Sure, there are those who will refuse to respond (I will be at my retreat), but many will submit to the National Defense Resource Preparedness executive order signed by Barak Obama on March 16, 2012 which redefined authority expanded under the 2009 re-authorization of The Defense Production Act of 1950. The executive order makes it crystal clear that any labor deemed necessary in a state of emergency may be conscripted at the discretion of the government.

In summary:

Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) are trained and instructed to identify and report ‘suspicious behavior’ to the FBI and other authorities.
CERT volunteers are being actively used in covert surveillance activities.
CERT volunteers are organized to work with local and federal law enforcement agencies.
CERT volunteers may be forced into service in the event of a national emergency.

It is not the purpose of this article to tell you whether or not to join a CERT Team. The training is beneficial to newbies. The free meals and emergency kit are quite nice. At least with our team it is acceptable to get trained and equipped and not go through the credentialing process to be called out during emergencies. It could not hurt to have a county ID and CERT uniform (helmet and vest) if caught on the road WTSHTF. However, their threat to your personal privacy today and, in a worst case scenario, your personal liberty tomorrow must be disclosed. Those who question how authorities would know where to confiscate unregistered guns under martial law can expect their neighbors to rat them out and quite possibly accompany law enforcement to their homes.

About Prepared Pastor:

Before entering the ministry, I was a firefighter, HAZMAT, confined space, and rope rescue technician. I also taught wilderness survival and shooting sports for the BSA. An experienced author and speaker, I have spoken on emergency preparedness at churches and secular conferences.

The Government's Boots on the Ground When It Hits the Fan May be Your Neighbors

**AirborneSapper7** · 06-09-2012, 01:24 AM

King Kong Ain’t Got #$@% On My Horsetail Sleeping Pad: Don’t let Mother Nature suck the life out of you

April 9, 2012 By Creek

Thank you Denzel for that perfect introduction. If you are in a Survival Situation and someone steals your Therma-Rest – not all hope is lost!
I’d like to start this post with the definition of CONDUCTION:
con·duc·tion : [kuhn-duhk-shuhn] : noun - the transfer of heat between substances that are in direct contact with each other

For the purpose of this post, those 2 substances are YOUR BODY and THE GROUND. If the ground it colder than your body and you lay on it, it will SUCK THE LIFE right out of you like a blood-thirsty vampire. This is certainly a recipe for hypothermia. In cold weather survival scenarios (and any scenario for that matter), there should always be a layer of protection & insulation between your body and the cold earth. You probably won’t have a modern closed cell foam sleeping pad in a sudden survival scenario.

Don’t Worry – Mother Nature has your back covered – literally!

When it comes to insulating your back-side, Mother Nature has you covered. You can use a variety of natural materials as a sleeping ground pad. Below is a short list:

Grasses
Leaves
Tree Branch Boughs – evergreen branches work great – when you stack them on top of each other alternate how you lay them

Just seeing that picture makes me want to take a nap.
I wrote this post, though, about a very specific plant that makes an incredible sleeping insulation pad. It takes a little more effort than an leaf bed or bough bed but would be worth the time in an extended survival scenario and is the closest match I can think of to modern closed-cell foam technology. This plant is the Horsetail.

Horsetail is a very interesting plant. It is comprised of sections and resembles mini bamboo except it isn’t hard like bamboo. It looks like an ancient plant you would see in a Jurasic Park movie. I’ve only ever seen it growing at the edge of or near water. You can’t miss it – there is no other plant like it.
Horsetail grows from 2-4 feet tall and is hollow. I’ve used it as a blow-tube before for making coal burned containers. You can compress it with your fingers and it pops back into shape. It’s springy and spongy and when you gather several of them together, you can easily make a nice foam-like pad. Below, see how I’ve used Horsetail to make a long term survival sleeping pad.
First, I gathered a huge batch of horsetail plants – cutting them off at the base.

Then, I made fist-full sized bundles.

And tied them together at both ends using natural cordage from the Rafia Palm. You can also use dried grasses or cattail leaves.

Here are several bundles tied together.

And more…

Now if I needed to travel with this sleeping pad I could have gone the extra mile and lashed these sections together. For my purposes, though, this wasn’t necessary. I used these to make a full body sleeping pad on a raised bed in a primitive shelter I built here at Willow Haven.

I kid you not that this Horsetail sleeping pad is more comfortable than ANY closed-cell foam pad I have ever used.

CONCLUSION

This big lesson in this post is not about HORSETAIL. It’s really about the concept of a GROUND PAD. Regardless of what it is you decide to use in a cold weather survival scenario, make sure that you put something with some insulation value between your body and the cold Earth. She will suck the life right out of you.
Remember, it’s not IF but WHEN,
Creek

Similar Posts:

About Willow Haven Outdoor & Creek StewartCreek Stewart is the Owner and Lead Instructor at Willow Haven Outdoor - a leading Survival and Preparedness Training Facility located on 21-acres in Central Indiana. For more information on Survival Courses and Clinics offered at WHO, click HERE. Creek is also author of the new book Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag: Your 72-Hour Disaster Survival Kit. His book is currently available for preorder on AMAZON.COM for only $11.20 - LIMITED TIME ONLY. If you enjoy Creek's Blog Posts, you will also enjoy his new book. You can contact Creek directly at creek@willowhavenoutdoor.com.

King Kong Ain’t Got #$@% On My Horsetail Sleeping Pad: Don’t let Mother Nature suck the life out of you |

**AirborneSapper7** · 06-09-2012, 01:27 AM

This one’s for the ladies! Improvised Purse Survival

June 6, 2012 By Creek 1 Comment

When I was a boy I can remember when my Mom would dump the contents of her purse on the kitchen table a couple times a year for a thorough (and much needed) cleaning. I couldn’t believe all the stuff she would accumulate in her purse over the course of a few months! It was always a mystery what was going to spill out onto the table. My brother and I would anxiously watch for any random candy pieces that might scatter. Mom’s ‘MYSTERY PURSE DUMP’ is my inspiration for this post – except now I pretty much look at everything through a survival colored lens. So you know where this is headed…

So the photo above is probably representative of an average “MYSTERY PURSE DUMP” – give or take a few 100 items

Can the contents of an average purse be used (directly or indirectly) to meet basic human survival needs? Let’s explore and see.

————————————————————————————————————————————— ———–
DENTAL FLOSS

My Mom always had a spool of waxed dental floss. This is some serious cordage. The spool pictured above contains 55 YARDS of floss – DANG! Waxed floss is incredibly strong – surprisingly strong actually. Some flosses have a tensile strength of nearly 20 pounds! It can have 100s of uses to a survivor. Below are just a few ideas that come to mind:

Fishing line (also detailed below)
Lashing cordage (also detailed below)
Snare lines
I guarantee I can make a bow-string out of dental floss – note to self – TRY THIS!
Tent tie downs
Cordage for lashing shelter frameworks
Sewing and/or gear repairs
Clothes line
Hang a Bear Bag!
Wrap and whip other rope ends to prevent fraying
And the list goes ON AND ON…

Hand Sanitizer, Chap Stick & Bic Lighter

These 3 items all have something in common. Each are excellent FIRE MAKING TOOLS! Whether you smoke or not, a BIC lighter is an excellent piece of survival kit to keep on hand. Hand sanitizer is not only a great personal hygiene item (which is also very important to survival) but it is also a very effective accelerant when starting fires. It burns fast but it can help in a pinch – especially in damp conditions. Chap stick and Lip Balm are outstanding FIRE EXTENDERS. I’ve done a post on this already – YOU SHOULD READ IT HERE. Mix this stuff with fluffy fire tinder such as cattail down and you’ve got an amazing fire starting aid.

MAKE-UP MIRROR

Almost every girl has one of these in their purse. Mirrors are the quintessential signaling tool and still used around the globe as an emergency rescue tool. A reflective flash from a signal mirror can be seen for miles by a rescue team – air, water or land. There is an art to effectively ‘aiming’ the flash from a signal mirror. It all starts with the peace sign.

Place your target (a rescue plane for example) in the V of your peace sign. Then, holding the signal mirror back toward your face, flash the sun’s reflection across your fingers back and forth – always keep your target in between them. You will be able to see the reflection on your hand – confirming to you that the reflection is flashing in the direction of your target. See the reflection on my hand below?

Signal mirrors can even be used with the light from a bright moon. They are incredibly effective survival signaling tools and have saved many lives throughout history. What other reflective objects can you think of besides a make-up mirror?

Feminine Hygiene Products

If you’ve not read my SURVIVAL TAMPON POST, read that here: Yes, that’s a Tampon in my mouth : The Swiss Army Survival Tampon : 7 Survival Uses | I’ve even added a few survival uses EXCLUSIVELY for Artofmanliness.com in an article here: Yes, Thatâ€™s a Tampon in My Mouth: The Swiss Army Survival Tampon — 10 Survival Uses | The Art of Manliness Tampons make excellent:

Improvised first aid bandages
Crude water filters
Fire tinder

Hair Clips and Bobby Pins

These look almost exactly like items in my fishing tackle box. Either can be fashioned into a crude improvised fishing lure or fish hook. If you bend them in one spot repeatedly the metal will eventually break. Don’t forget your dental floss line. Scratch up some live bait and you’ve got some pretty descent chances of landing a fish or frog.

I found that wrapping the bottom bends of the hooks made them almost impossible to bend out flat. I couldn’t do it with all my strength so there is no way a fish can bend it out. I hope Blue Gill like MINT FLAVOR!

CELL PHONE

Whether working or busted a cell phone is an incredible survival resource. I’ve done a couple of posts on this already that you should read if you haven’t already: Survival By Cellphone |
I’m currently working on a very detailed post about BUSTED CELL PHONE SURVIVAL SKILLS that I am sure you will enjoy – look out for it soon!

Tweezers & Nail File

Women keep all kinds of little working tools of the trade in their purses. Of these, my favorites have to be TWEEZERS and NAIL FILES. These just look like little weapons and I love any kind of weapon. After a little thought, I determined that both of them would make excellent frog and fish gigs… so I went to work.

I used a 1 inch willow sapling for the gig shaft and tapered down the end. Then, I split the end and fitted it with the gig tip (either tweezers or nail file). Waxed dental floss made the perfect lashing cordage and held the hardware on surprisingly well. I’ve gigged many a frog in my life and I have no doubt what so ever that this would be a very effective frog (or fish) gig. These tweezer points are really sharp!

CONCLUSION

So, what’s the lesson here. There are 2 actually. First, it’s another look at creatively using everyday items as survival tools to meet basic human survival needs. Innovation is at the CORE of survival. Whether the end use is practical or not, it’s important to always challenge yourself to think creatively about products and items – TRAIN YOUR BRAIN. Second, pack actual SURVIVAL TOOLS in your purse. Don’t rely on improvising. Heck, you’re already lugging it around anyway. Toss in a few light-weight survival items just in case.
So, ladies, what did I miss? Anything else that can be used as survival tools in YOUR purse?
Remember, it’s not IF but WHEN,
Creek

Similar Posts:

About Willow Haven Outdoor & Creek StewartCreek Stewart is the Owner and Lead Instructor at Willow Haven Outdoor - a leading Survival and Preparedness Training Facility located on 21-acres in Central Indiana. For more information on Survival Courses and Clinics offered at WHO, click HERE. Creek is also author of the new book Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag: Your 72-Hour Disaster Survival Kit. His book is currently available for preorder on AMAZON.COM for only $11.20 - LIMITED TIME ONLY. If you enjoy Creek's Blog Posts, you will also enjoy his new book. You can contact Creek directly at creek@willowhavenoutdoor.com.

This one’s for the ladies! Improvised Purse Survival |

**AirborneSapper7** · 06-09-2012, 09:01 PM

**AirborneSapper7** · 06-09-2012, 09:39 PM

Sportsmen's Act Amendment to be Introduced in U.S. Senate

Posted on June 8, 2012

As previously reported, H.R. 4089--the "Sportsmen's Heritage Act of 2012"--passed the U.S. House of Representatives in April by a bipartisan vote of 274 to 146. The bill will protect and enhance opportunities for recreational hunting, fishing and shooting.

H.R. 4089 was a compilation of four different bills: H.R. 1558, which amends the "Toxic Substances Control Act"; H.R. 3440, the "Recreational Shooting Protection Act"; H.R. 2834, the "Recreational Fishing and Hunting Heritage and Opportunities Act";and H.R. 991, the "Polar Bear Conservation and Fairness Act of 2011."We are pleased to announce that Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) will be introducing similar legislation in the U.S. Senate next week as an amendment to the Senate farm bill. The Tester-Thune amendment (Amendment 2232) will contain most of the provisions from H.R. 4089, including:

The "Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act": This section amends the Pittman-Robertson Act by adjusting the funding limitations. This allows states more funds, and for a longer period of time, for the creation and maintenance of shooting ranges. The bill encourages federal land agencies to cooperate with state and local authorities to maintain shooting ranges and limits liability for these agencies.

The "Polar Bear Conservation and Fairness Act": This bill allows for the importation of polar bears legally taken from approved populations in Canada before the 2008 ban.

The Hunting, Fishing and Recreational Shooting Protection Act: This section specifically excludes ammunition and fishing tackle from the "Toxic Substances Control Act," leaving decisions to state fish and game agencies and the Fish and Wildlife Service, rather than the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA has denied petitions to regulate tackle and ammo under TSCA in 1994 and again in 2011. This codifies that the EPA does not have the ability to regulate either type of item, but does not override local, state and other federal regulations.

The amendment will also include:

The "Recreational Lands Self Defense Act": This section would prohibit the Secretary of the Army from enforcing any regulation that keeps an individual from possessing firearms in Army Corps of Engineer Water Resource Development projects or facilities. This language would not change the current legal prohibition of guns and dangerous weapons in federal facilities, such as the Corps Headquarters, Engineering Research Facilities, and lock and dam buildings.

The Army Corps owns 7.6 million acres and manages another 4.1 million acres, making it the largest federal provider of water-based outdoor recreation in the nation. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers property includes 400 lakes and river projects, 90,000 campsites and 4,000 miles of trails.

In advance of next week's introduction, please be sure to contact your U.S. Senators and urge them to cosponsor and support the Tester-Thune amendment (Amendment 2232).

You can find contact information for your U.S. Senators by using the "Write Your Representatives" tool at www.NRAILA.org. You may also contact your Senators by phone at (202) 224-3121.

NRA-ILA | Sportsmens Act Amendment to be Introduced in U.S. Senate

**AirborneSapper7** · 06-09-2012, 09:52 PM

Marksmanship Basics and Beyond, by Evan W.

In a TEOTWAWKI situation, the ability to shoot accurately from a distance could be the difference between eating healthy high protein game, and not eating at all, or it could be the difference between protecting your loved ones, and being raided and attacked by bandits.

Beyond just being able to shoot accurately, learning to be a marksman teaches focus, patience, determination, and consistency – valuable skills for any survivalist and in any survival situation.

In marksmanship, the goal is to minimize the input of your body on the firing action of the gun. Imagine that you are relaxing your muscles and building a stack of solid, stable bones to rest your rifle on. The only muscular input should be the slow and steady squeezing of your trigger finger.

Slings

Contrary to popular believe among many recreational shooters and hunters, myself at one point included, the primary purpose of a sling is not to carry your rifle over your shoulder. The primary purpose of a sling is as a support to steady your rifle without the use of a tripod.

There are several types of slings, and a lot of different ways to use them. I’ll go over two variations on how to use them. The first is fast and can be easily be transitioned to while on the move, while using the sling to carry your rifle. The second takes more time to set-up, but is much more accurate.

While your sling is attached at two points, on the forestock and near the butt, pick up your with the sling loosely dangling over the outside of your forward arm. Slide the elbow of your forward arm into the sling and hold it at angle that puts tension on the sling and stabilizes the rifle. Adjust the length of your sling to get the right amount of tension.

To set up a more accurate shot, remove the sling attachment from the butt of your rifle, slacken the sling inside the buckle and slide your forward arm through the loop created by loosening the buckle. You want to use this loop so that pulling on the rifle will tighten the loop and keep in it place. Place the loop as high on your arm as possible. Your forward hand should slide in between the sling and the forestock of the rifle, and when in position the sling should be taught against the back of your forward hand to create a secure position.

Positions

There are a variety of different positions that you can intelligently assume while firing a rifle. Your choice will largely depend on a combination of time and distance. The most accurate positions take more time to set up, and the least accurate positions take less time to set up. At shorter distances to your target, you are more likely to have been seen, and more likely to be in a hurry. At farther distances to your target you are more likely to be un-detected and have more time to set up your shot.

If you are having any trouble lining up the sights while you are in any of these positions, you may need to check your eye dominance. Just because you are right handed doesn’t mean that you are right eye dominant. To test your dominance hold both hands out in front of you with your arms straight. Overlap the fingers of your right hand with the fingers of your left hand, and overlap the thumb of your right hand with the thumb of your left hand. There should be a hole that you can see through, put an object at a distance in that hole. With both eyes open, bring your hands closer to your face until your hands hit your face, keeping the object centered in the hole. Your hands should end up coming to one eye or the other. That eye is your dominant eye. If your dominant eye is your right eye, your right hand is your trigger hand. If your dominant eye is your left eye, your left hand is your trigger hand.

There are two things that you should do in all positions. First, the forestock of the rifle rests on the open palm of your non-trigger hand. The rifle should rest more or less along the lifeline crease in your palm. You want to minimize your input on the rifle, gripping the forestock introduces unnecessary and unstable muscular support into your firing system. Second, crane your neck forward and place your cheek on the stock of the rifle. You should be in a good position to see the sights, and when the rifle recoils, your head should go up with the rifle, instead of the rifle bashing into your forehead. It’s especially obvious when someone with an improperly setup scope forgets to do this step, usually a newbie at the beginning of shooting season. They end up with a circular scope shaped cut on their forehead. Don’t let this be you, setup a consistent, safe, and repeatable position every time.

The most basic shooting position is the standing position. In the standing position I like to put my feet a little bit wider than shoulder width, to make a good solid base. The elbow of your trigger arm should be up, and your trigger arm should be parallel to the ground. Try it. You’ll notice that as you lift your elbow, your shoulder creates a nice pocket to hold the butt of your rifle firmly in place. The last thing you want to happen is the rifle to slide off of your shoulder from recoil as it’s fired. Your shot will be terrible, and you might end up hurting yourself. Plant your foot on your trigger side. Pivot your front foot around to make adjustment left to right. To move altitude adjustments, move your front foot out and in, or adjust the placement of your hand on the forestock.

The next shooting position is the sitting or kneeling position. There are a lot of variations in this position, and I recommend you practice getting up and down with your unloaded rifle to figure out what works best for you. The overall principles remain, create a solid stable base, with loads on your bones, not your muscles, to set your rifle on top of. I’ll go into the position I use the most, and is arguably the best sitting position. You will need to wiggle around and make adjustments to make any seated seated position work for you. Cross your feet with the trigger side foot in first. Ideally, your boots should support your legs in this position. The back of your upper arm, just above the elbows should rest on your thighs or knees. If you try to rest the pointy part of your elbow on your thighs or knees you’ll slide around it you won’t be able to fire a consistent shot. If you are having trouble getting into this position, begin to uncross your legs, and even put them out in front of you with your knees up in the air if you have to.

The most accurate shooting position is known as the prone position, because you’ll be lying prone on your stomach in this position. Rest your elbows on the ground, and put your forward non-trigger elbow as directly under the stock of the rifle as possible to minimize horizontal movement. You’ll find that you shoot in a diagonal pattern when your elbow is not directly under the stock. Place your trigger-side elbow in a comfortable place that allows you to make a hand-shake grip on the trigger. The trigger-side leg should be bent up as high as possible, while your non-trigger-side leg should be straight in line with your body. This configuration will put you a bit on your side and create some space under your stomach so that your breathing doesn’t lift you off the ground and move your position around. Use your trigger-side elbow as your pivot point and move the rest of your body around to find your aim.

Gun Safety

Before we get into firing the rifle, no marksmanship survival guide would be complete without a gun safety lesson. If you aren’t handling your rifle safely, and accidentally injure yourself or those around you, you’ll be compromising your chances of survival.

The most important thing to remember is never point the muzzle of your rifle at something that you are not prepared to destroy, be it a wall, plant, wildlife, or human. As long as you do this, you’ll be safe, even with an accidental misfire of the rifle.

When your rifle is not in use, it should be unloaded, the bolt should be open, and there should ideally be a chamber flag in the chamber so it is clear and obvious that there are no rounds in the chamber or magazine.

When your rifle is loaded, your finger should never be on the trigger until your sights are on the target.

This is by no means a complete list of safety considerations, but basic guidelines to help keep you safe. It’s more intended as a reminder to people with shooting experience. If you have no shooting experience, I recommend getting some basic training at your local range or gun store.

Steps to firing a shot

The Appleseed firearms training organization does a really good job of breaking this down into six steps, the most important of which, and the one which will make you better than 95% of all other shooters out there is to squeeeeeeeeze (not pull) the trigger, and hold it back - more on that later.

First step is sight alignment, how this actually looks will vary based on the types of sites you have. Basically, this means line up the front and rear sites while you are in a shooting position.

Next, create a sight picture. Again, there are a few different ways you can do this, but I prefer the six o’clock hold. In a six o’clock hold you put the target directly above the front site. The benefit of putting the target above the sight is that you can always see the target, even when the target is 400 meters away. With a center-mass hold, with a target at 400 meters, your sight will likely cover the target, making it difficult to see when you are aiming high.

Once you’ve got your sights aligned and a sight picture, it’s time for a respiratory pause. The best time to pause is at the bottom of your exhale. At this point in your respiratory cycle, your body is at its most relaxed and you will fire the most consistent shot.

Next, focus your eye on the front sight while you focus your mind on keeping the front sight on the target. The saying here is “shoot the fuzz,” because your target will be fuzzy. Learn to get comfortable doing this. It’s the most accurate way to shoot, and one of the most difficult parts of firing a shot to master.

Now you are ready to begin firing the shot. Start to squeeze the trigger with the pad of your index finger. It should be in more or less a “C” shape, and the only part of the trigger finger that should touch any part of the gun is the fingertip pad below the first knuckle. It’s common to catch beginners and experienced shooters alike, dragging the side of their finger along the stock, also known as, “dragging wood”. I say you are ready to “begin” firing the shot, because you never decide it’s time to shoot. If you are squeezing the trigger properly, the actual fire of the shot will be a surprise. It will just happen whenever you’ve squeezed enough to fire off the shot.

Finally, just because you squeezed the trigger and the round is going off, doesn’t mean you are done. It takes time for the powder to burn, the gas to expand, and the bullet to leave the end of the rifle. During that time, you can’t be influencing the rifle or you will be throwing off all of the hard work you’ve put into the shot. So what do you do? Hold the trigger back! This possibly the single most important thing you can do. Keep the trigger in the pulled position until you are ready to fire again. And while you are doing that, look at your sights and call where your shot went. You might learn something.

Natural Point of Aim

Natural Point of Aim is the position your body is in when it is completely relaxed while holding the rifle. This is the direction the shot with fire naturally. It’s the most stable, consistent, and reliable position you can use over a course of fire. Any position where your muscles are used to keep the sights on target is not your natural point of aim, will not be as accurate, and will lead to unnecessary fatigue over the course of fire.

The best way to find your natural point of aim is to get in position, put your sights on target, close your eyes, relax, take several deep breaths, and open your eyes again. If your sights are still on target, you are likely in your Natural Point of Aim. If not, adjust your body position until you are on target again, and repeat the process until you remain on target after closing your eyes and relaxing.

One great way to test your Natural Point of Aim, that Appleseeders will certainly be familiar with, is “Carding the Sights”. You’ll need a friend to hold a credit card or driver license between your sights after you’ve lined up your sights on target, while you repeat the above drill but with your eyes open. You may find that you get more honest results this way, as you’re not subconsciously pulling the sights back on target.

Marksmanship Basics and Beyond, by Evan W. - SurvivalBlog.com